Keeping facts straight in a crooked world: politics edition

A consensus arose that the center in this nation (and others I can think of) was moving right. (It also simultaneously looked like numerous civil rights-type positions were becoming mainstream.) Lately it's looking like there's no sensible 'center' that would actively incorporate both poles. The right outside of Trump is becoming a fringe; the Buckley type is hardly in evidence, politically, and forget liberal Republicans- that's been evaporating since '68. Meanwhile there's an active struggle between established Democrats and the activists. There's a serious, and possibly necessary, trend away from anyone campaigning as or supporting a 'moderate.' One cannot, after all, compromise by offering an equal seat to lunacy and lies.

My one caveat in this very emotionally-tempting partisanship- made worse by the evaporation of civility- is we don't want to lose our ability to discern fact and opinion. Lies, disregard, injustice- I hardly apologize for my emotional rejection of these things, and aims supported by said tactics. The disregard for objectively probable information- the abandonment of Reason- in the service of humanist principles accelerates this polarization. Simply put, I'll keep fact-checking to the best extent possible rather than seeking comfort in labels and tribalism. This, from someone whose life was personally poisoned by this Trumpian strain of thought: my wife was harmed and a gun taken out in our presence by a family member who will never know our company again without acknowledging culpability. So, I'm not impartial, nor, aside from an occasionally-obtained philosophical objectivity, do I respect all opinions as equal in quality.

I want to encourage critical thinking, pragmaticism (not austerity in favor of the status quo of disparity), and exploration of ideas. I do not wish to see the intent of liberal philosophy subsumed by propaganda in the vehement rejection of said humanist principles. I find this personally difficult sometimes, honestly, but we must keep the truism in mind: two wrongs don't make a right. I don't intend this as an argument with any positions stated in this thread, merely, my two cents on achieving some sort of vision and optimism that is not empty, while in no way surrendering to the depressing current of polarization and illogic.